Purpose: Teach the art of the rundown, and how to act when you’re in a pickle. An important softball coaching tip you should remember would be making sure rundown mechanics are practiced.

Procedure: Prepare fielding gloves, tennis balls and 2 bases. Explain the roles of fielders and base runners in the event of a rundown. Depending on available space and the number of kids, this game can be performed between first and second base, or between each of the other bases. The goal is for the “police officer” (person with the ball) to catch a “speeder” (person in the rundown). The base runner wants to safely reach one of the bases. An elimination factor can be added here by sending people to the “jail”. Those “criminals” include tagged base runners, fielders who collide with a runner, the fielder closest to a runner who has successfully made it back to a base, or the fielder who makes a poor throw. the “jail” is emptied after each completed rundown since someone is always safe or out remember, “speed kills”. Steal as many bases and runs as you can!

Purpose: This game preaches aggressive hitting and hustle. It is important to emphasize hustle when coaching softball.

Procedure: Will need a bat, four bases, and jugs foam bill wrapped with athletic tape. Make two teams and an assigned batting order. The pitcher is from the hitting team. This person cannot field any batted ball or else the batter is called out. The hitting team does not have to wait for the fielding team to get ready. Thus, the fielding team has to hustle out to their positions. The pitcher can stand anywhere, but has to be a safe distance away. The batter receives one pitch. A fair ball must be hit or else an out is called. No leading, stealing or bunting. It’s great to see the kids hustle after each third out. They’ll learn to place the next batter as catcher, so she can quickly jump into the batter’s box, Runs are scored in traditional fashion.

Purpose: To develop quickness and proper catching and throwing techniques. Coaching softball entails practicing all important skills to be ready for any game situation.

Procedure: You will need one softball for each pair of players and gloves. Divide the team into pairs. Kids in each pair should be of similar age and skill level. Each pair stands 25 to 30 feet apart, facing each other.

For safety purposes, make sure there is at least seven feet between each pair. On the “go” command, partners throw a ball back and forth as fast as they can while keeping their throws under control, After 10, 15, or 20 seconds, the coach yells, “Stop.” The players keep track of the number of successful catches they make within the allotted time. Award l0 points for 10 successful catches. After each round, players can move back two or three steps. This game can be played up to any number of points.

This drill teaches young players how to get the ball out of the glove quickly before throwing However, you should reinforce the idea that rushing the throw often results in errors and misplays. Players drop balls during this drill if they try to take the ball out of their glove before they have a proper grip. Also emphasize that players must have control of the ball before throwing. The person catching the ball should present a chest high target for her partner.